Color-Ite
Refinishing was started in 1970. Color-ite's business over the years has
been the restoration of vintage automobiles. Although specializing in
early Lincoln, Lincoln Zephyr, and the original Lincoln Continental, many
other makes & models have gone through the facility. Authenticity
and quality are always emphasized in an effort to accurately preserve
automotive history.

For those who have visited this site in the past or have
done business with us over the years, you may have wondered 'What happened
to the original colors? From the early seventies through the early nineties
we supplied original colors in nitrocellulose lacquer, at which time the
E.P.A. decided to crack down on lacquer use and production to protect
the environment. I had no problem with that since I certainly didn't want
to contribute to polluting the planet. At that time I made the decision
to take on the enormous task of converting to current material. Without
going into detail it was quite a task, but I thought too much had gone
into this vintage color endeavor to just let it go. While supplying the
nitrocellulose, the tints were made to our specs exclusively for us, hence
we had control over how much was made, when, etc. However, because we
had to make our "conversion" tints from existing tints there
was no control. When a corporate decision was made to eliminate a particular
tint, that was that and any formula calling for a tint that included the
discontinued color was thrown off. For a dozen or so years we struggled
with this, not to mention the ridiculous costs. Mark-up was all but gone,
so that is what happened to the original colors from "Winning Colors".
It was an interesting 35 years.

We do continue restorations however, but concentrate
on body and metalwork as opposed to the complete restorations as in the
past. Zephyr and early Continental bodies are "in process" and
available for sale to the individual who may want to replace his Lincoln
sedan with a more desirable model. These bodies can be seen by clicking
the "Items For Sale" button. Also, of course, is the ever present
appraisal service. So, we continue with a slightly altered course.

As is often said, when one door closes, another opens. We have added an artisan of woodcraft to our experienced team. Look under 'Services' to see a Mercedes 540K body frame that Dave has completed.